All Cargo Shorts are Not Created Equal

I am a big fan of cargo shorts, whether I’m hiking in the mountains or picking up some groceries at the store. One of the best features of cargo shorts is, of course, the cargo pockets. I usually have my camera in one of the pockets and a Leatherman® multitool in the other, and maybe even my 18oz. Kleen Kanteen® if I’m hiking without my hydration pack. I recently picked up several new pair of cargo shorts, at a popular outdoor specialty store, and have noticed some differences between them and my tried-and-true ones.

Continue reading

2010 Family RV Trends

This weekend I packed-up the family and headed to the 22nd Annual Spring RV Show, in Pleasanton, California. We have friends with truck campers, pop-up tent trailers and camping trailers, but this is the first time we have ever gone to an RV show, in order to get an idea of what is out there and how the different types of RVs compare, for family camping.

Continue reading

Decent Family Camping Tent for $100

I was browsing through the Costco® coupon booklet, this weekend, when I stumbled across this little jewel on the last page. $100 for a 16-foot by 7-foot tent sounds almost too good to be true, but the Coleman® Montana™ is a useable family tent, if price is a major consideration.

Continue reading

2010 Ice Chest Survey

The ice chest is one of the core pieces of camping gear, at least if you are car camping, and they are really useful for other family functions, too, which makes them a good buy even if you don’t camp a lot. Ice chest are also really durable. Ours has weathered over ten years of camping, birthday parties, family cookouts and picnics, along with three moves.

Continue reading

5 Non-Essentials to Consider this Summer

If you got a few family camping trips under your belt last summer, then you probably have a good start on some core camping gear and are ready to hit the backcountry. Some camping gear cannot really be classified as “essential” but it sure makes your life a lot easier, or safer, around the campsite. Here are five items that we have acquired, over the years, that have become an essential part of our camping gear, even though they don’t show-up on very many camping gear lists.

Continue reading